Innovative sustainable business model: A case study of eco-tourism in Bukit Lawang

Abstract

Sustainable development has become a crucial issue and a moral obligation for all nations. However, the implementation of sustainable business practices in Indonesia, especially in the field of the tourism industry, including the Bukit Lawang tourist destination, is still weak. This encourages tourism managers to change their business model as a step towards making Bukit Lawang an international tourist destination. This can be achieved through competency development sustainable business management model. This article attempts to apply the design thinking model to creating innovative sustainable business model in tourism in the Bukit Lawang area, using qualitative research methods and design thinking procedures. The population of this study includes tourism managers and visitors in Bukit Lawang area. Sampling techniques such as stratified sampling and purposive sampling, and both primary and secondary data were collected. This article presents a framework for sustainable tourism businesses model in Bukit Lawang, which is built based on three dimensions: facilities, services and systems. This dimension serves as a key differentiator of sustainable value propositions in tourism businesses related to the three pillars of sustainability: economic, social and environmental. The focus of this framework is creating value sustainable tourism business regarding impact reduction, risk mitigation and compliance.